


the moon is hanging on the jungle gym

by orphan_account



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Cults, F/F, Mentions of Murder, Supernatural Elements, based on the peek a boo mv, low lowkey ot5 i guess?, lowkey wenjoy, mentions of cannibalism, so take from that what you will, this is really just creepy and weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 20:29:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12755643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In the end, there is nothing left of the pizza boy except a shirt, a trophy.“For you, unnie,” Yerim says, her lips blood red.Joohyun takes it to put with the others.





	the moon is hanging on the jungle gym

“Unnie, I’m hungry,” Yerim says, placing her head in Joohyun’s lap. 

“Are you?” Joohyun asks, stroking her hand through Yermi’s hair. It had been so long and pretty, but one day she had suddenly cut it all off in a fit of defiance to something only she knew about, and Joohyun couldn’t fault her for this. Yerim looked beautiful no matter what she did with her body, because she was powerful. That went for all the girls in this house. They could cut out their own eyes and mutilate their skin, because the most attractive, the most prepossessing thing a person could have. 

This was why men were fundamentally unattractive, after all. 

“Yes. Please, unnie, it’s been so long. I’m so hungry.” 

Their fridge was full of food, of beef and chicken and vegetables and plenty of fruit. They had even gotten the sweet popsicles that Yerim liked so much, because she had begged for them. Joohyun knew this because she and Seungwan had gone grocery shopping the day before. So there was food, if Yerim truly wanted to eat it. 

However, food was not what Yerim was hungry for. 

After such a long life, Joohyun hardly ever got hungry anymore. As the years passed, the less human Joohyun became, and the less human her needs. Her hunger was no exception. Yerim, though, so newly initiated, well. She would be absolutely _ravenous_ , at pretty much all times. 

However, Yerim was a stubborn girl. The fact that she was saying anything at all must mean that she is so, so hungry. She must be hurting. Joohyun gentles her hand in Yerim’s hair. “You poor thing,” she says, tone as gentle as she can make it. “You poor, poor thing.” 

“Yes,” Yerim says, playing into it. The look that she gives Joohyun is pitiful, eyes big and pleading. “Yes, unnie. Can we eat soon?” 

“We can eat tonight,” Joohyun tells here. “Go get me the phone book. We need to decide on which pizza place we want to deliver to us tonight.” 

When Yerim smiles, her face turns so sweet. She is so lovely, and Joohyun adores her. This is how she became their fifth initiate, and one day she might become the most powerful of them all. But for now she is newly initiated, and hungry, and still attached to this house, and Joohyun will appreciate every second of that that she can. 

“Okay,” she says happily, skipping off to find where they put the phone book the last time they used it, which was months ago. Yerim will want to buy the most expensive option, Joohyun knows. Yerim always wants that, after all. 

 

Seulgi comes to Joohyun when she’s sharpening her razors. “Yerim is ordering pizza?” The phrase is shaped like a question. In this house, Seulgi is the only one that ever questions what Joohyun does. 

As Supreme, Joohyun can mostly do what she wants, when she wants, and none of the others will challenge her. She was the one that has grown up in their beautiful religion, and as such knows the most about it. Everyone else came later, was initiated later, but Joohyun was baptized under the Goddess’ full moon and bathed in Her blood ever since she was a little girl. 

Seulgi was born into it too, but later, when it was weaker, before she and Joohyun decided to revitalize the Goddess and Her mission, the one way they knew how: through bone marrow and the murder of the innocent and unpowerful. Everyone else joined later, Joohyun sensing their power the moment that she met them. 

Seulgi’s power did not have to be cultivated however. Seulgi did not have to plead to the Goddess to bless them, the way the others did. Seulgi, like Joohyun, simply was. That’s why she allows Seulgi to get away with so much. 

However, she won’t put up with Seulgi questioning her, no matter what. As Supreme, Joohyun represents the Goddess’ will on earth. Therefore, she should not be questioned, because this was Joohyun’s duty, her purpose. The Goddess did not make mistakes, and therefore Joohyun should not either, to be worthy of Her. 

“Yes.” Joohyun smiles when her blade draws blood from her own fingertip with just the slightest amount of pressure. It must be ready. “Yerim is hungry.” 

“This is the second time in six months,” Seulgi says. “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure of what, Seulgi?” Joohyun asks. She gestures for Seulgi to sit down, and Seulgi does not even hesitate before she does just that. Joohyun looks over Seulgi, considering, wondering where she she test out her blade on Seulgi’s body. Not her wrist, surely. That would be too much blood to clean up, and they will have so much of that to do tonight. “Am I sure that one of our sisters, our newest initiate, is truly hungry? You might not remember what it was like, all those years ago, to be starving all the time, but I do. We must feed Yerim’s soul so that she is properly nourished, properly _loved_. That is the most important thing to continue our legacy.” 

“I know this.” Seulgi says. The only indication that she feels Joohyun’s blade slice the skin of her face is when she gasps. The sound is quiet, almost completely unnoticeable. Not of pain, then, but surprise. Joohyun smiles. Not being able to feel pain is one of the blessings that the Goddess gives them, after so many years in Her service. 

“Good,” Joohyun says, and leans over Seulgi to kiss her mouth firmly, just the once. 

This may be another reason that Joohyun lets Seulgi get away with more than she should, too. She and Seulgi are something deeper than sisters, a bond and a love that flows from another river, a link connecting the two of them that is different from what they have with the others. 

But if that is a reason that Joohyun is so soft on Seulgi, well. Only the Goddess knows.

 

Joohyun goes into Sooyoung and Seungwan’s room to tell them of the good news. 

They rarely leave their room, Joohyun always forced to coax them out. It’s even rarer to see them without the other person, but Joohyun manages it, sometimes. She’s the only one that can. 

Joohyun is the one that found them after all, shivering in the dark shadows, holding hands. They had been so terrified then, and so young. Joohyun had been frightened for them, but more than that, she had been drawn the strength that she had felt coming from each of them. Combined, that strength was only increased, only stronger. 

They, like Joohyun and Seulgi, were also linked by something other than the sisterhood that they all shared, but no one spoke of this. No one even mentioned it. Joohyun was not even sure if Sooyoung and Seungwan spoke of it amongst themselves, but if they did, it didn’t matter. The five of them were all linked no matter what. 

“We are going to feast tonight,” Joohyun informs them, and it’s only then that the two of them look up from the game they were playing with their baubles. There are twin smiles on both of their faces, and they reach out to hold each other’s hands. 

“Really, unnie?” Sooyoung asks, her face suddenly alight with joy. She is so, so lovely, looking at her face almost hurts. Joohyun can see why people had wanted to hurt her, so long ago, before Joohyun had found her. Even the thought of that now makes her angry, but it doesn’t matter. Joohyun dealt with them and gave their carcasses to the Goddess long, long ago. 

“Yes,” Joohyun promises. 

At this, Seungwan stands up. “We must get ready,” she says, speaking more to Sooyoung than to Joohyun, just like always. “To eat is a joy, and we should be thankful. We should pray!” 

“We should,” Joohyun agrees. “But if you want to begin your prayers first, in preparation for all of us, then you should. The Goddess would be grateful to hear from you directly, and would be grateful to know what is to come.” 

“She would, wouldn’t she?” Seungwan smiles at the thought. She has always been the most devout, the most fanatical, of all of them. Even Joohyun, as blessed as she has been by the Goddess, has nowhere near the level of enthusiasm that Seungwan does. 

But then, Joohyun was born to the Goddess. Seungwan sees herself as being saved by Her. There is a monumental difference there, that Joohyun knows she must take into account. 

“Yes. So you should pray.” 

Seungwan goes to kneel at the shrine that she put up in the corner of her and Sooyoung’s room. The shrine is a beautiful thing, really. There are diamonds and pearls and gold surrounding a single red rose, a rose from the garden in the backyard. Joohun knows that Seungwan sees roses as being symbols of the Goddess, and so she worships them just as she would worship a physical manifestation of the Goddess. 

“You should join her, Sooyoung,” Joohyun says as she walks out the door, leaving them to their work. “We will need all the blessings that we can get.” 

“Of course, unnie,” Sooyoung says dutifully, and goes to join Seungwan, as Joohyun knows that she would have anyway, even without any prompting. 

 

Joohyun finds Yerim again admiring the weapons in the weapons room of the house. 

“Unnie,” she says. “Unnie, there are so many options, I don’t even know where to begin.” 

“You know that if you kill him cleanly, there will be more to eat.” 

“I know.” Yerim pouts suddenly. “But it’s so much more fun to make a mess.” 

“I know.” Joohyun sighs. “That I know. But you’re hungry, aren’t you?”

“I am.” 

“Then we should get as much meat from this sacrifice as we can. When you are older, then you will have more time to make messes and do whatever you want with his blood.” 

“Do you do that, unnie?” 

Joohyun can feel her expression soften. So much of the time, she softens around Yerim. She would find it dangerous, if she did not adore Yerim so much, if Yerim was not one of them. But she is, now. 

Yerim had been the one that had been drawn to them. Most of the neighbors avoid their house, calling it creepy, and for good reason. Normal humans had an innate sense to avoid those that were Blessed, because it protected them. The Goddess is merciful in all things. 

But Yerim, though having grown up down the street, did not seem to have this. In fact, she was drawn to them, always coming to the house, always standing on the sidewalk in front of them and staring at their open doors. 

But children could not be brought into their fold, could not truly be their sisters. So Joohyun had waited until Yerim had grown up, and then gone to see if she would be an initiate, or a sacrifice. The raw power that Joohyun had felt from Yerim had been enough that Joohyun knew that she was born to be one of them. 

And so she had lit the ceremonial candles, and Initiated Yerim, which was how they had come to be here today. Now Yerim was totally and completely one of them, and Joohyun could not be grateful for that. It felt, now, like they were all complete. 

“I did. Before I had you. Before I had the others. But now I have you all, and that’s more important to me than hunger, or having fun, or even blood. The Goddess would understand that, I think.” 

“Of course She would. She is merciful and good. Just like you, Joohyun unnie.” 

“You think so?” 

Yerim shook her head. “I know so,” she says 

Joohyun reaches out to hold her dear Yerim tight. She can feel how small their youngest is in her arms, how fragile and delicate. How hungry she must be, to be so light, to be more ghost than solid girl. 

“Now,” Joohyun says, once she’s let go of Yeri. “If we want a clean kill, what weapon do you think we should use?” 

Yerim’s eyes linger longingly over the axes, but when she faces Joohyun again she says, “A crossbow.” 

“Good girl.”

 

The pizza delivery boy runs almost thirty minutes late. Joohyun is tempted to call the place that he works for--the only gourmet option in the phone book, as per Yerim’s request--and ask for a request, but she doesn’t. Instead she sits, and she waits, as any good predator sure. 

Yerim is the one that lets him into the house. The rest of them all stand in corners of the corners of the room and watch, making sure that Yerim makes no mistakes, making sure that this prey is fit to be consumed as they will consume him. 

“You must be so cold,” Yerim says as she shuts the door behind her. “Let me get you something hot to drink, at least.” 

 

In the end, there is nothing left of the pizza boy except a shirt, a trophy. 

“For you, unnie,” Yerim says, her lips blood red. 

Joohyun takes it to put with the others.


End file.
